


Chains We Forge

by Dameceles



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Captivity, Coercion, Fan Characters, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Gift Fic, Guilt, Implied Relationships, Implied Sexual Content, Male-Female Friendship, Nagamas 2020, Spying, Uncle-Nephew Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:55:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28432038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dameceles/pseuds/Dameceles
Summary: The king of Nohr has rather publicly taken a political captive, and Prince Matthais' lord uncle wants him to investigate the strange Hoshidan woman— personally.[dark post-Conquest AU, based onFlutterbat's Destiny By Bloodverse]
Relationships: Hinoka/Marx | Xander
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6
Collections: Nagamas Gifts





	Chains We Forge

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Flutterbat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Flutterbat/gifts).



> A belated Nagamas gift from yesteryear's prompts... I just couldn't stop thinking about Flutter's [Dark Future AU](https://shyscribbles.dreamwidth.org/685.html#cutid1) and imagining how Hinoka and Marx might tear each other apart in them. Also had fun with all these OC babies, hope I did Matthias justice.

“Prince Matthias, a word.”

The deceptively calm-sounding voice had Matthias stopping dead in his tracks. Taking a fortifying breath, he schooled his expression and turned to the older man forcing himself to meet those cold, calculating eyes without flinching. Despite being Nohr’s fourth prince and sixth in line to the throne, his uncle was one of the most influential men in the kingdom. Following the Great War, Leo had been awarded regency over Cheve and Nestra, making him a Duke twice over with wealth and power to match.

By contrast Matthias had little of note. Not the position of crown prince, that was his brother Edmond, nor their father’s favorite, that was his littlest sister Katerina. Matthias was merely the second son of the king, born not by the queen but a concubine who was now deceased. Although he’d come of age that year, he was still a squire and had no notable glories on the field of battle. If anything, Matthias was best at speaking softly and going largely unnoticed.

It took all his nerve to resist quailing as Grand Duke Leo the Ruthless stared him down.

“You’ve shown the most promise with magic out of Xander’s children.” That wasn’t quite right, his younger brother Francis was better with tomes, though was too young to live outside the Northern Citadel. Before Matthias could speak up, his uncle continued, “So, I have a task for you to do here in Krackenburg.” Leo’s hand lifted, displaying a thick golden band with delicate etchings. “This bracelet is enscrolled to capture nearby sounds and then echo them when imbued with magical energy.”

When he held out the bracelet, Matthias accepted and fit it about his left wrist. “Whom should I speak with?”

The corners of Leo’s mouth kicked up, clearly pleased that he needn’t explain. “Subtly will be necessary, and only a small amount of energy is needed to activate the enchantment. Talk to the hellion imprisoned yesterday.”

Matthias’ eyes went wide and he had to stop his jaw from dropping open. His uncle spoke of the captured Hoshidan woman who’d sent waves of gossip through the court— or rather how when presented the previous morning, the prisoner had thrown curses at King Marxander, the late King Garon, and the entire Nohrian royal line without so much as a single lash being bestowed for such insolence. Instead, there’d been the spectacle of his father gagging her with his own cravat and then the guards dragging the woman away from the throne room and likely to some dank cell in the dungeons.

Leo’s smile fading had Matthias regathering his composure and focus, though his sudden bout of nerves had him stammering, “W-what do you w-want to know?”

His uncle frowned outright. “That, I cannot say. Save that I know the wench is hiding something…” His brow furrowed in a way that made Leo look petulant where the king would’ve displayed anger. The sigh he heaved also sounded more put upon than livid, as he said, “Simply try to get her defenses down, I’ll arrange for times that you can speak alone.”

Alarm flared in the back of his mind. “I’m to d-do this more than once?”

“Unless you think you can win her confidence in a day?” Leo asked, brow raised skeptically. Once Matthias shook his head, he continued, “Then yes… and with a degree of secrecy. I have made arrangements, pay close attention-”

-0-0-0-

Despite being a prince Matthias was easy to overlook, neither towering in height nor statuesque in looks like his father. He also lacked any shade of blond hair, his curls instead a common mousey brown. If not for the dark shade of purple in his eyes and the hook in the bridge of his nose, he wouldn’t’ve much resembled Nohrian royalty at all. But it meant when he tied back his hair and slipped on the footman’s livery that he was able to pass through the castle halls without much of a second glance directed towards him. The gold band on his forearm is well hidden by the uniform’s long, billowing sleeves.

It’s at the bend in the hall that the actual footman hands Matthias his excuse for visiting the king’s rooms— a tray of food for delivering, apparently for the prisoner. The Hoshidan woman had been locked away, not in the dungeons, but somewhere within the king’s private quarters and not heard from since. Just recalling the sorts of rumors that’d surrounded that information had him praying to the gods that there was no truth to the more lurid speculations.

After the hand-off the servant didn’t linger, and the guards at the door didn’t question instead opened the way as his uncle had paid them to do at noontime— should someone approach while he was inside they would knock to alert him, so he couldn’t go too far in. Matthias focused on the even measure of this steps and the weight of the loaded tray in his hands to not be overcome by the terrible static of anxiety building in his chest. He’d never been inside the king’s private quarters, had never been invited, he’d undoubtedly be punished by his father if he was caught skulking about. And his uncle wouldn’t save him, just be disappointed he’d been caught in the act.

Matthias’ next inhale shook, but he held it before exhaling to calm himself. Once his composure was less scattered, he murmured the incantation to activate the gold band’s enchantment and letting it draw magic from him. The first quarters were a study of sorts so he went to the inner door, desperately trying not to wonder if sneaking into the royal bedchamber without permission would be considered treason. It was rather dark in the next rooms, but the glow of an anima lantern drew his eye— revealing the place where King Xander must’ve been keeping the captive.

He kept his head down and attempted to be as innocuous while peering about. By the position and spacial dimensions, before it had become the makeshift cell it had been a smaller part of the room perhaps a closet. It was windowless but also lacked a proper wooden door, instead metal bars with a lock were what filled the doorway and made for a largely unimpeded view inside. If not for the chains bolted to the far wall, he might’ve mistaken it for a servant’s bedroom, what with the full-sized bed frame and mattress complete with an array of pillows and bedclothes alongside a proper a commode, pitcher, and basin— a far cry from a stone cell with a cot and pail.

It was small enough there were few places to hide, yet he couldn’t clearly see the woman. Perhaps she was hiding under the bedframe? He made sure that his footfalls were audible as he approached, not too quickly, and then Mattias called out through the bars. “I’ve brought the midday meal.”

The initial sound he heard was the clinking of chains, then the rustling of cloth as the rumpled sheets were abruptly pushed back to reveal the lump in the middle hadn’t been the mattress. He was struck first by the brightness of her hair, a red completely undiluted by other shades, and a color he’s never seen on a person before. It was cropped just over the shoulder and hung rather wildly about her head, although perhaps that mussing could be attributed to her having been lying abed. As she sat up and slid out from beneath the covers, he noted how her feet and legs were bare while a nearly formless smock covered her arms and from hip to neck with a proper high collar— not the clothes he’d first seen her in, but also not dungeon attire.

As she approached, he ducked his head so as not to be caught staring. Matthias set the tray on the floor, opened the slot beneath the bars, and gingerly slid it through. The small woman knelt and extended her hands to take the tray; he noticed the pair of wool-lined leather cuffs that had the outermost sides fitted with iron rings where chain links attached, the end of which were secured at the far wall of the room above the bed’s headboard. Although the leather cuffs appeared snug against her wrists, he noticed the skin around and beneath was bruised and abraded. Although the scabs looked to be old, in a stage of healing, it was likely she’d struggled in metal manacles while being transported here rather than gaining the wound’s recently.

She regained her feet with the tray in hand and shocked Mattias by asking, “You’ll stay and watch the whole time?”

For a long moment he floundered, discomforted by the implications— until he remembered that _was_ what the footmen had been instructed. To stay and observe, as there might be a need to take away the cutlery should the captive attempt to hide any for keeping or try and harm herself. Doing his best to combat his stutter, Matthias answered, “Y-y… yes, I am to wait u-until you’re finished.”

The woman didn’t acknowledge the reply, simply turned and walked far enough to sit on the edge of the bed closest to the bars. She set the tray in her lap, uncovered the dishes, and most curiously completely ignored the silverware to instead eat with her hands. The meat and vegetables in gravy had already been chopped into bite-sized pieces, likely because no knife had been supplied, but it also facilitated her eating unimpeded. With morbid curiosity Mattias watched her efficiently clear the larger morsels from the plate, the woman’s expression remained fixed in the sort of strained neutrality that it’d held since she’d revealed herself.

Although different from traditional manners in dining, her motions looked well-practiced… elegant really, which could also be said for the poise in which she held herself. It wasn’t the sort of dignity he’d have expected after having witnessed her raving red-faced before the entire Nohrian court, let alone now that she was in chains. The way this Hoshidan captive held herself reminded him of Edmond and Katerina’s mother, and the queenly ways in which she moved. But the queen in Hoshido was his aunt, Corrin, while the only survivor of the fallen Byakuya royal family lived in Izumo in exile. A member of that kingdom’s former nobility perhaps?

The woman only hesitated when she’d obviously finished eating, her heavily-lidded eyes lingering on the gravy covering her fingertips. Without thinking, Matthias drew a handkerchief from his pocket and passed his hand through the bars to offer it. For the first time their gazes met, shock in hers that made a self-conscious nervousness creep up his spine. Yet he refused to withdraw his hand, instead saying, “P-p-please use this.”

After he spoke her face went blank and gaze shuttered, though her eyes did drift to the white square of cloth dangling from his outstretched hand. The woman was able to reach and take it without moving from the edge of the bed, and wasted no time wiping her hands clean. Dropping the soiled cloth onto the tray, she replaced the cover, and wasted little time in setting it beside the slot where he quickly pulled it through for retrieval.

If she was always this quiet, his uncle would likely grow cross with him. So as he stood with tray in hand, Matthais asked, “Was the m-meal to your liking, my lady?”

His use of the honorific had her twitching, a frown passing over her face before the blank expression returning. “It was fine.”

“If there’s a d-dish you’d prefer, a request can be m-made to the kitchens.”

“…for a prisoner?” Her hard glance and tone gave away her skepticism.

So, she was aware of her situation. In normal circumstances a prisoner’s fare would be served without their input, or sometimes withheld. But having watched her, Matthais suspected gravy covered things weren’t the woman’s usual diet and he needed an avenue to try and get her to talk to him. If he’d truly been a footman, this wouldn’t work… but the kitchens would answer the request of a dish for royalty.

“I-I-I can m-make it on behalf of the king’s g-guest.”

She stared at him for a beat, saying nothing, yet finally began to name foods…

-0-0-0-

After passing off the emptied tray to the kitchen servants, Matthias went straight to his uncle’s office located in the castle archives. Grand Duke Leo’s face held impatience as he bade him enter, and Matthias wasted no time reporting everything he’d observed— the strangeness of the cell, the captive’s attire and healing injuries, how she ate with her hands and disliked the fare. His uncle’s attention was unwavering as he activated the enscrollment to share what few words had been exchanged.

“So she has garnered special treatment from the king, but why?” The older man gave a contemplative frown.

“Maybe because she’s H-Hoshidan?” Matthias offered a guess, though in truth was even more bewildered.

Grand Duke Leo scoffed out a laugh. “Hardly. Xander doesn’t hesitate to spill Hoshidan blood whenever the need arises… There must be something softening him towards this one in particular.”

“Do y-you know w-who she is?”

His uncle merely raised a brow. “ _That’s_ one of the things I want you to find out, dear nephew.”

Matthias didn't say anything in reply, fidgeting instead as he was given instructions to return and make the captive talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sadly this is still a WIP, but I know what will come in the next two chapters and hope to get them out soon. Sorry, Flutter, that I didn't wait to post it completed!
> 
> My characterization for Matthias is based on the fact [young!Xander was much like Sakura](https://damoselcastel.tumblr.com/post/140946508696/fe14-support-comparisons-marx-vs-xander-w), so I took this a bit literally. However the idea of a awkward second prince having to deal with his real-politicking uncle, was part of the impetus for the idea of this fic... that and y'know, the ship drama.


End file.
